I can't believe it's going to be December soon! I already can't wait to watch vlogmas from my favorite Youtubers, and also 24 Days of Zoella! But, let me tell you about my November first, okay? ;)

MUSIC

I think, November is the month where I was crazily addicted to Moana. I kept listening to Moana Original Soundtrack almost everyday since the day it was released on the 18th. I even dedicated a post about my top 8 songs from the album. If you want to know more, you can read it here.

Here's one of my most favorite songs from the album: How Far I'll Go by Auli'i Cravalho :)


Other than Moana, there was one particular song that I really enjoyed this November. It was Perfect Strangers by Jonas Blue featuring JP Cooper. Love it!

FILM

You might have guessed it, and yes, Moana is one of my most favorite films this November (read my review about it here)


Another film that I also love so much is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! I was so excited to get back to the magical world of Harry Potter through this film, and apparently there will be more sequels coming up! Gosh, my years ahead are gonna be so amazing and magical. Read my review to know more about my thoughts on this film :)

YOUTUBE

There is this one Youtuber that I've grown to love this month. It's: Kimdao! I found out about her from Sunny Dahye's Japan vlogs, then I started to look at her channel. I just really love to listen to her Australian accent when she talks and she's also really pretty. Check out her main channel and vlog channel, guys! I believe you're going to love her :)

CLOTHES

I must confess, that I bought quite a lot of new clothes this November. However, this dress is one of my favorite one:

FOOD

There won't be no month without a food favorite. All the details will be in my November Food Travel post, but here are some sneak peeks for you:




The other thing that got me excited in this November is the opening of Lotte Mart Pakuwon Mall Surabaya! I can't wait for more stores like Uniqlo, H&M, etc to be opened soon at this mall :D


That's all for November, everyone. I'm super happy for December to be here! I hope you're feeling the same way too!
See you in December! :D
CN.

I don't know if you knew it already, but I'm a huge fan of Disney music. I know a lot of Disney songs that I would really like to do a Disney song challenge one day. I even have a playlist for all my favorite Disney songs, and this playlist has a lot of songs in it (maybe around 50 songs?). Now, it just feels like it's time to consider adding the songs from the newest Disney film, Moana to that playlist of mine.

The first time I heard How Far I'll Go by Alessia Cara, I wasn't quite sure if I liked it or not. But, once I really listened to the lyrics, I knew that this song is a gem. So, the more I listened to the other songs, the more familiar I got with the film. Even before watching the film, I already got the vibe of the film, and I've visualized the film as I was listening to each songs in the soundtrack album. I really fell in love with the songs and the film before I actually watched it.

Since I love the soundtrack so much, today I want to share my 'Top 8 Songs from Moana Soundtrack' with you!

8. Logo Te Pate

This song first came up in the trailer and I just love how upbeat and fun this song is. I feel like dancing whenever I listen to it :)

7. Shiny

As I first read the lyrics, I knew that this song would bring us to a classic over-dramatic Disney villain scene in the movie. It's just so catchy that I often just randomly start singing the chorus.

6. I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)

The haunting voice of Gramma Tala and Moana's self discovery are just perfect in this song. If you've watched the film, then you'll know that there is a scene when Moana's ancestors are appearing from the ocean. I just love how beautiful that scene is and it makes me love this song even more.

5. Where You Are

This song is kind of like a prologue which tell you about Moana's surroundings growing up. You get to know about the village and the characters through the lyrics of this song. It just reminded me of what 'Do You Want to Build A Snowman' did.

4. An Innocent Warrior & Know Who You Are

This song is just so soothing. I just love how calm and hypnotizing the sound of this song is. It keeps echoing inside my head sometimes.

3. You're Welcome

This song is just super funny to me! Watching it being performed at the film gave me so much pleasure and laughter. I was really surprised when I listened to Jordan Fisher's version of this song. I never imagined that this song can be changed into a soothing R&B song. Amazing! Love both versions so much.

2. We Know The Way

This song keeps playing inside my head. The 'Aue Aue' part really stuck in there for a really long time. It's such a fun song about Polynesian culture and I just love it so much!

1. How Far I'll Go

The lyrics of this song is just wow! I love it super duper much! Auli'i's strong voice and Alessia's unique voice really give a rather different vibe to both versions, but I can't stop listening to both of them. This song is really the main anthem of this film :)


So, those are some fabulous songs that I've been loving lately. I literally can't stop listening to this album even until now!

For those of you who haven't listened to the songs, I hope you'll love them.
For those of you who have listened to the songs, please tell me which one is your most favorite song.

Happy listening, everyone! :)
CN.



P.S.
Make sure to read my review of Moana too, okay? ;)

Finally!!

If you had been following my Instagram Story, then you'll know how excited I am to finally watch Moana! Since the day when Disney announced about the making of it a few years ago, I was already so happy and couldn't wait any longer! I always love the Disney Princess films, especially after Frozen and Tangled just bringing back Disney to its glory. So, you can just imagine how patient and excited I've been these past few years ;)

Before the movie was being released, Disney has spoiled us with the release of Moana Original Soundtrack. Listening to the songs kind of gave me some hints about the story and the personality of each characters. However, I was trying so hard not to get all "detective" and analyze every word to figure out the story line, because I wanted to figure all out while watching the film. No one really loves a spoiler, right? If you haven't listened to the album, then you must, because the songs are really good and addictive. I've been repeating it for so many times that I can suddenly listen to them in my head.

Few days ago, I finally able to watch this film at cinema with my friends. There is this one short film called Inner Workings which was played before Moana.


It's a really fun and relatable short film which demonstrates how our mind and heart do not work in sync sometimes. You should just watch the trailer to get a sneak peek of it:


After a really funny opening, it's time to get to the real deal! You know you're a Disney freak when you easily get excited just by seeing the Disney castle/logo popping out and the familiar opening theme song's playing. That's totally me. Now, I must tell you that the next paragraphs will contain spoilers, so proceed with your own risk ;)

Right after the credit was rolling, I felt so happy and contained, yet I also felt a little bit incomplete. That's because I feel like, there are some parts missing in the story line.


First of all, I'm really disappointed that Pua, the pig, doesn't have a big role in this film. I was expecting an Olaf-and-Sven or Pascal-and-Maximus, or Flounder-and-Sebastian kind of thing from Heihei and Pua,but there weren't. I kind of regret it, because I think Pua has a potential to make the story line even more interesting and funnier. Pua even appeared in the teaser trailer with Moana and Maui, yet in the film there isn't any scene involving Pua and Maui, except for the ending. Well, I guess Disney is just breaking another stereotype that they have about the Disney Princess' sidekicks.

The second thing that I think was missing is the details about Maui's sudden reunion with Moana. I know he already said: "With or without the hook, I'm still me/Maui" or something like that, but it just didn't feel enough. I wish there is a scene for Maui's struggle to find himself too, until he finally decided that he needed to get back to helping Moana. Well, I'm not really sure whether the scene got cut or just never existed, but I really do wish they have it.


Lastly, I'm not really sure why there are some names that aren't mentioned in the film. For example, no one mentioned Gramma Tala, or Chief Tui, or Moana's mother, Sina. I knew all of those names because I've watched the behind-the-scene videos and some conceptual pictures of Moana. If I haven't, they're all just gonna be Moana's grandmother, Moana's father/the chief, and Moana's mother. It's too sad because they have great names.

Despite all those missing pieces, I still think this film is really awesome! Maybe I'm a little bit biased, but whatever.

The animation in this film are just really great and even better than their last film. I was amazed by how soft Moana and Maui's hair look and how the hair movement is almost natural (I mean with all those strands of hair, just wow!). How they animate the water is just mesmerizing. My most favorite scenes including the scenes when the ocean is parted and you can see all those sea creatures within it, and also the scene when Gramma Tala and the ancestors' ghosts appear to help Moana discover herself.

The fact that there is no 'prince' in this film is also a really loud statement from Disney to break the old Disney Princess stereotype. They broke it once with Merida and Elsa, and now they just decided to make more films about girl power. I guess, it's also related to their campaign: "Dream Big, Princess", which is a campaign to empower little girls with their Disney Princess role models.

I also really love how Disney is exploring cultures and introducing them to the world through the film. If you haven't known yet, Moana is made based on Polynesian folklore and legend. Maui exists in our world you know? Polynesian people believe in the demigod Maui. They were also voyagers who found a lot of islands across the Pacific Ocean, they found their way with the help from the stars and the ocean, just like in the movie. If you want to know more details about it, you can read this article here.

I am satisfied enough with this film, and I recommend you, especially you who love Disney films, to go and watch it. I just can't wait for their next Disney Princess animated film already. Well, maybe firstly I just need to wait for Beauty and the Beast on March! Hope you're enjoying this review of mine.

Have a lovely week :D
CN.




P. S.
I'm also going to post my personal rank on the songs from Moana Original Sountrack, so stay tuned! ;)
Update: Click this link to read my Top 8 Songs from Moana :D

Hello everyone!

So at the beginning of this month, still into the birthday vibe, I had another birthday celebration with my boyfriend's close friends. There were three people who celebrated birthday in October within this circle, including me, of course. So, we decided to celebrate our birthdays together at this Chinese food restaurant called Lin's Garden.

This restaurant located at Kartini Street, Surabaya. We already reserved a place to make sure we had a place to celebrate our birthdays. The vibe of this restaurant is similar to any other Chinese food restaurant generally. It has Chinese-themed decor, the spinning table, and of course the Chinese food. Here are some food that we ordered at that time:

Mie Goreng Ala Lin's Garden

Sapo Tahu

Nasi Goreng Lin's Garden

Gurami Asam Manis

Ayam Goreng Saus Lemon

Daging Sapi Masak Lada Hitam

Po Cai Jamur Enoki

Cah Baby Buncis Cabe Garam

Love the chili sauces :)

Chinese Tea

For me, the price at this restaurant wasn't that expensive compared to other Chinese food restaurants. The price on the menu book was the price for the medium-sized dish, and it was already plentiful for us. The taste of the food is also great! I especially love the black pepper beef and the stir fried veggies.

Of course birthday parties won't feel complete without a cake. So, our friends bought us a cake:


It was so delicious, because the cake was layered with Ovomaltine fillings inside, and look at all those sweets above! Crazy right? This cake is from Penta Roti Oishi.

So, that is my short story about our little gathering earlier this month. If you want to know the complete menu and package of Lin's Garden Restaurant, you can check out the packages here and see the complete menu here.

Have a great Sunday everyone! :D
CN.

Hello everyone!

Guess it's time to look back to my Food Travel journey in October! I know, I know, it's been halfway through November, but better late than never, right? (such an excuse for people who love to procrastinate :p). I'm pretty sure it's gonna be quite a long post again, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. Maybe next month I will come up with a way to make it shorter. Maybe.. :p

Okay, I'll just start right away!

Here's the first sweet drink I had in October:


It's DUM DUM Thai Drink! My boyfriend and I ordered Dum Dum Thai Iced Tea (20k) and Dum Dum Thai Iced Green Tea (22k), but we both prefer the green tea one. You can see the booth on the background of the photo above. We were visiting a market at Galaxy Mall Surabaya then decided to try these drinks. After done visiting the market, we had dinner with our friends at Pizza Hut:




I always most likely to order Sensasi Delight package, so I did! I really recommend to order this package if you want to enjoy Pizza Hut but with lower budget. My friends also ordered some pizza, but since I'm not a big fan of pizza, I just think it's similar to any other pizza.

My boyfriend just got back from Thailand last September, and he brought some food from there. The very first one he gave me was this:



It's Tom Yum Chocolate, and the taste is just.. well, let's just say I'm not a fan of it. The other things that he brought and I love are these:



I really love and enjoy the compact size of the Matcha Latte Milk, it's sweet and yummy!

You can honestly find Tong Garden Peanuts at some supermarkets in Surabaya, but the one he brought from Thailand has a bigger package. If you love salty food or peanuts, then you'll love this one.



I had a Sunday ritual with Samyang Noodles. I used to eat it while watching We Got Married every Sunday. I can't really stand really spicy food, but I love them, including this one.



Fell in love with these breads from Tous Les Jours. My most favorite one was Chocolate Real Milk Cream bread. Yum!



My mother found this Samyang snack that I never knew exist. It's similar to 'Mie Remes', one of those amazing childhood snacks that I used to love. It's really spicy, but it's just an okay taste for me.



Just found out the name of this mysterious and delicious yellow rice! Check out my complete story of Nasi Kuning Avon here :)



Never really interested on trying out this snack/cereal called Crunch, but then my mom bought lots of it. So, I just decided to try one and I love it. At the end of the month, I just found out that it also has a Chocolate Orange flavor! Oh my gosh! Love it! :D



Had some ice cream at Chick 'n Roll! The ice cream on the right called Choco Loco. It's really chocolaty, but I just didn't find anything special on the taste.



This Wall's Oreo Cookies Cream is one of my favorite ice cream! And when your loved one bought one for you when there's no special occasion, the taste is just getting much more sweeter :D



Found this Montego Choco Chips Green Tea Cookies at Ranch Market and decided to try it. It's nice, but I would've loved it more if the cookies had contained stronger green tea flavor.



I also finally tried out this meat from Ranch Market. Read the full story here.



October was the birthday month of my boyfriend! We celebrated it at this beautiful cafe and restaurant called Butter and Bean. Want to know what's happening there? Read this post ;)



Session Junkies was having a soft opening of its new branch at Kartini Street. We were enjoying a lot of food while they're all still 50% off. See what we were eating here :D



This Apple Pie from McDonald's was such a hit in October. So, of course I needed to taste it! It was great! The cinnamon and apple taste compliment each other really well. Nice one! :D



I barely share this food with you, even though I've been enjoying it for months. This is a French Fries from Ceker and Friends. I just love the thin and crispy fries :)



An office colleague gave this Paroti Crispy Toast to me. It's written that it has Special Butter Almond flavor, and yes, it's delicious.



I never expect to love this meal, but I just fell in love with it. It's Nasi Pedas from Wapo Resto Pandaan. It's so spicy that I love it so much. Also, I always love food with crackers as its bonus. Awesomeness! :D



Had a little escape after work and enjoying Carl's Jr. Burger and Fries. They're all so delicious and perfect for hanging out with friends.



I always wonder how's the taste of the food from healthy caterings, and now I know. Tried these healthy meals and drink from D'Natural. Since I've been eating red rice nowadays, I wasn't quite shocked with the meals, and I actually kind of enjoying it :)



Finally able to purchase this delicious Cookies & Cream Rhum Cookies from Mena Cookies. I really love it! I let some of my friends tried too, and they all loved it so much! Really recommended treats! It's pretty expensive though, for me.



Always love this drink from De Mandailing and finally able to visit this cafe again! Read more about it here :)



October was also my birthday month! I was so happy that some people were celebrating my birthday together! The cakes above are from Dapur Cokelat and Tous Les Jours :)



I was so surprised to see this snack! Now there is a Nacho Cheese Happytos! I love this one! If you don't really like cheese, then I don't think you'll enjoy it, because it has quite a strong cheese flavor.



This Lapis Legit from Alesha is just perfect for a little snack. As you can see, there are so many flavors too! ;)



Another product of Thailand that my boyfriend gave to me was this Nestea Thai Milk Tea. Honestly, I was just okay with it. Glad I was able to try it though :)



A special lunch to celebrate my birthday! Found out more about this special story here ;)



Had some lunch at Lao Pan and I actually enjoyed the meals here. I especially love this chili though :D



My aunt ordered Es Teler Durian from Kayu Wangi while we were at ITC. It's really enjoyable! Anyone who loves durian will definitely love this :)



And.. at the end of the month, my mom just got back from Jakarta and she brought me these! It's my favorite mochi and I really love their Wijen Hitam mochi! You should definitely try that one flavor! :D



I guess that's all for October. It was such an amazing month and I just can't wait until the next October is here again. But I think I should just enjoy November now, since things are beginning to look a lot like Christmas in November.

Hope you've been having an amazing month this far. I obviously enjoying every minute of it. You can follow my days on Instagram since I share a lot of Instagram Story posts lately. Follow me here!

See you on my next post, guys! ^^
CN.